Roses and Candor
by iloveromance
Summary: Daphne receives a rose from an unnamed admirer and after the sender confesses, another truth is revealed; one that she never dreamed was possible.
1. Chapter 1

Fighting back tears, Daphne turned the page of her current romance novel, eager to learn the fate of the heroine and hero; Katherine and Sam. So far the book was wonderful and it was easy to become swept into the story, channeling the emotions that Sam and Katherine must have felt. At once she found her heart aching for the would-be couple who were separated by distance, and she hoped that they would find their way to each other soon.

She'd long since finished with her chores and was enjoying the rare moments of peace and quiet. She supposed that she should have used her free time more wisely; to do things like call her mum or get caught up with her girlfriends. But lately she'd been drawn to romance novels of any kind. She simply couldn't get enough of them.

Perhaps her fascination with romance novels was due to the fact that she had no romance in her life. She hadn't had a date in months, which attributed to her loneliness. Of course she knew that things like romantic movies and romance novels were hardly realistic, but she just couldn't help herself. The feeling of loneliness and the desire to be loved grew stronger every day.

She couldn't remember the last time a man had told her that he loved her; on a date or otherwise and the truth was that it hurt. She soon found that losing herself in a romance novel eased the pain, if only for a little while.

But the moment the doorbell rang, her romantic fantasy vanished, giving way to reality. Annoyed, she placed the bookmark between the pages and sat the book on her bed in tented fashion. With a sigh she stood and made her way to the living room, hating the thought of doing any type of work; even something as simple as answering the door.

"Bloody hell…" She muttered. "People pick the worst times to ring the doorbell!"

She wore a fabricated smile. Even if she wasn't happy, she could at least pretend to be, and hopefully persuade the person on the other side of the door to leave as quickly as possible. She had reading to do.

But when she opened the door, she wasn't expecting to see a lanky boy with dark hair smiling at her. He wore a pine green polo shirt, matching hat and blue jeans that looked like they'd seen better days.

"Hello." She said brightly. "May I help you?"

The boy, who wore a name tag that displayed his name; _Peter,_ smiled and nodded. "I have a delivery here."

Her eyes moved to the logo on his shirt and cap. " _Colorful Design_." She read.

"Yes, ma'am. This is Number _1901_ , isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. You've got the right place."

He smiled, as though he was relieved. "Great. Sign here, please." He thrust a clipboard and a pen in front of her.

"What is this? I've never heard of _Colorful Designs_ before. Is it new?"

"Just opened last week. Colorful Designs is a florist, ma'am."

"Oh… Well, that doesn't surprise me. People are always sending flowers to Frasier; callers, mostly, but how they got our address-"

"Says here it's for a Daphne Moon."

Her mouth fell open in surprise. "Me?"

"If you're Daphne Moon."

"I-I am, but-."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I guess I'm just a little-Are you sure it's for me?"

"Sign here please."

Absently she took the pen and signed the white form. He tore off the bottom pink copy and handed it to her. "Have a nice day, Ma'am."

He turned to leave when she called to him. "Wait! What about the-."

His face was flushed when he turned around. "Sorry, it's my first day. Here you are."

"Good luck!" She called to him when he left. She closed the door behind him and stared at the object in her hand. It was a single pink rose, wrapped in white tissue paper, tied at the bottom with a pink ribbon. And it was the loveliest thing she'd ever seen.


	2. Chapter 2

She stared at the rose in her hand, unable to believe it was real. The sent wafted toward her and she closed her eyes, inhaling gently as the rose brushed her upper lip. The fragrance was completely wonderful and filled her senses like no other rose ever had.

There was no card attached, which peaked her curiosity even further. Surely there had been some mistake. This couldn't be for her. She couldn't imagine who had sent such a beautiful gift. But the boy had said that the rose was to be delivered in her name. The fact that someone would go to so much trouble to send her something so lovely brought tears to her eyes. It was something right out of one of her romance novels.

"Who was that at the door?"

Startled by the unexpected sound of Frasier's voice, Daphne whirled around to face him. "Dr. Crane, do you have any idea who sent me this rose? It's beautiful."

To her surprise, his expression changed and he appeared to be almost… angry.

"Damn it, Niles!" He shouted.

Daphne's eyes widened. What in the world could he possibly be angry at his brother for? Niles wasn't even there at the moment! And then it hit her, like someone knocking the breath out of her. The look on his face said it all… but there was no possibility, no way, that it could be true.

"Dr. Crane, are you saying that-."

"Yes, it was Niles, I know it was!"

"I-I'm afraid I don't understand. Why would he possibly-."

Frasier began to pace the room. "Damn it! I told him not to be so bold! I warned him repeatedly that doing something like this would only lead to trouble and did he listen to me? Of course not! He never listens to me unless he thinks he will benefit from it! Well, I have had it up to here with his hot-hotheadedness! I won't stand for it anymore! The next time he shows his face here, _if_ he dares to show his face that is, I can guarantee you that-."

"Fras, shut up, will ya?" Martin bellowed as he entered the living room. Daphne stared at him in alarm, for he was moving much slower than normal. How could she not have noticed? Was his hip actually getting worse? Was he hurting? If so he never said a word and lately he'd been doing his exercises without complaint. But now…

She knew that she should say something, but at the moment, Frasier was on one of his rants, and once he got started there was no stopping him. Whatever his brother had done, he didn't like it one bit. But Frasier had no proof that Niles had sent her the rose. Even if he did, it seemed completely impossible. Niles wasn't attracted to her in that way. They were friends and nothing more.

Meanwhile, Frasier went on and on about this and that, but she was no longer listening. She was staring at Martin, who seemed to be waiting for just the right moment for Frasier to stop talking.

"I cannot believe that Niles would be so-."

"Fras, shut your big bazzoo, okay? Niles didn't send the damn rose!"

"Oh really? And how do you know that, Dad?"

"I'll tell you how I know, wise guy! Because the damn thing is from me!"


	3. Chapter 3

Daphne and Frasier exchanged stunned glances and it was hard to tell which of them was more surprised. Her gaze shifted from Frasier to his father, who was doing his best to avoid eye contact.

" _You_ sent me this flower, Mr. Crane?"

There was a brief pause and then he shrugged. "Yeah, it was me."

She took a step forward. " _You_ sent me this flower?"

"I _said_ it was me, didn't I? Don't go reading anything into it like Frasier does."

Normally she would have been angry at his sarcastic comment, but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to do so. Instead she brought the rose to her lip once more and inhaled the wonderful scent, sighing deeply at the fragrance. And then her tears began to fall.

"Oh geez, Daphne, I didn't think the damn thing would make you cry!"

She brushed away her tears and smiled. "I'm sorry Mr. Crane. I'm just so flattered by this and I don't understand why-."

His expression changed and he started to move toward his chair but she stopped him by touching his shoulder.

"Oh all right, I'll tell you why I sent it. I sent it because… Well, I just wanted to thank you, Daphne. For everything."

"Mr. Crane…"

Unexpectedly, he drew her into a hug and she began to cry into his shirt, trying not to laugh at the way he groaned. Clearly the affection made him uncomfortable, even if he had been the one to initiate it. She held him closer, taking comfort in the way his hand was warm against her back.

"Hey, come on, don't cry now. It's all right."

She released her hold on him and then kissed his cheek. "I don't know what to say, Mr. Crane, except thank you for this. I love you so much and… I'll treasure this forever." She inhaled the fragrance once more. "It's absolutely beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it, Daphne." Martin grumbled. "Good thing that Frasier over there didn't open his big bazzoo wider. He almost gave away Niles' secret!"

Daphne looked up in surprise. "What secret?"

"There you go, Dad, now look what you've done!" Frasier snapped.

Martin covered his face in embarrassment. "Damn it! This is your fault, Frasier! I knew that sending that rose would only cause trouble and now we've both done it!

Um, Daphne, look. Just forget I ever said anything at all."

"I don't think I can…" She said.

"It's nothing really. And as long as we didn't exactly spill anything, there's no harm done, I guess."

"You mean there's more?"

"Go on, Dad, you've told her this much. Might as well tell her the rest!" Frasier prompted. "But if Niles asks how this happened, I'm not taking the blame!"

"The blame for what?" Daphne asked.

"I guess there's no sense in keeping it a secret anymore." Martin said. "You were going to find out sooner or later. Probably later if I know my youngest son. Either that or you'd figure it out by yourself. Hell, Frasier and I figured it out, so I'm sure that you-."

Daphne was completely confused. "Mr. Crane what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Niles, Daphne! And the fact that he's-."

"Dad!"

"What? I'm trying to tell her! Isn't that what you wanted?"

"No, it is not!"

"Well, it sure as hell looked that way!"

"Dad, I need to see you in the kitchen."

"Now?"

"Yes, now!"

"Can't it wait till we tell her? This is ridiculous! It's gone on for long enough! Years, in fact! She deserves to know and if he won't tell her himself, I will!"

"But what about Niles? Doesn't his privacy mean anything to you?"

"Believe me, he'll thank us, eventually."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Oh, you and your damn ethics, I swear, Frasier-."

As Frasier and Martin argued back and forth, Daphne's head was spinning. "Will someone please tell me what in the bloody hell is going on?" She shouted.

The men fell silent and stared at her, but when Frasier's expression changed, the pieces fell into place like a puzzle.

And she felt incredibly stupid for not seeing it before.


	4. Chapter 4

Her world tilted on its axis, sending her thoughts and everything she thought to be true sliding in one direction and then another. Her mind was suddenly so bewildered that she couldn't even begin to think straight. Niles? It just didn't seem possible. But she could see by the looks on the faces of Frasier and Martin that it was true.

"H-how long has he felt this way?"

Martin looked at Frasier and grinned. "A long time, actually. As far as Fras and I can tell, it started as soon as he met you."

Her mouth fell open in disbelief. "When we met? But that's been… I mean, we've known each other for…" Lightheadedness came over her and she somehow managed to find her way to the sofa and sat down "Oh my God…"

"We did a damn good job of keeping it secret for so long, didn't we, Fras?"

"Dad-."

"You mean it's been that long? And you knew about it all this time?" She asked, almost as an afterthought.

"Yeah, but-."

"Daphne, are you all right?"

She turned to her boss. "I-I think so. I just-."

"Daphne I'm sorry to spring this on you." Martin said. "I never thought this would blow so far out of proportion."

"H-he's my best friend… How can I-."

"Go to him, Daphne. Talk to him." Frasier urged.

Both Daphne and Martin looked at him, incredulous.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Fras?"

"Actually at this point, I think it is. Now that she knows, it's only right that he knows too."

"But what if he…"

"If he's angry, you can blame Frasier and I." Martin said. "But I'm not gonna apologize! You deserved to know! And now that his divorce is final-."

"Dad's right."

"I just-I –I don't…"

"Just go to him."

Tears spilled onto her cheeks and she rose from the sofa to kiss Frasier and Martin. "I love you both so much. Thank you. And I promise I'm not cross with either of you. I just… I need a little while to let this sink in."

"Of course. We love you too, Daphne." Frasier said. "Now I happen to know that Niles has an early morning meeting at the office tomorrow, so-."

"I-I'll be there." She said quickly. But then made amends. "But I wouldn't want to disturb him at work." The idea of showing up at his office unannounced seemed unfathomable, if not a bit intrusive.

"Trust us, Daphne, he won't be angry." Martin said.

"Dad's right. I'm sure that Niles would welcome your presence." Frasier finished.

Her head continued to swim in confusion. Slowly, even more pieces began to fall into place; the way he was always complimenting her and was always showing up at their door unannounced, making some excuse as to why he was there. And the whole time… he was there to see her. It seemed so strange to think that she might have a different type of future with the younger Dr. Crane.

She'd never thought of him in the romantic sense. She'd never even considered it. He was always… well, her boss' brother first and foremost; a man who was part of the family that she'd found when she was hired as Martin's physical therapist. Over the years, however, she and Niles had shared pleasant conversations. Somewhere along the way those conversations had become more personable. Her mind drifted back to the first time he'd really and truly shown her how much he cared.

 _One day, when she was feeling blue, Dr. Crane seemed to be the only one who noticed._

 _He quietly took her aside and asked her if she was all right. She considered lying, for she certainly didn't want to bother him with her silly problems. But when she looked into his sincere, caring blue eyes, she began to cry. He immediately gave her a soothing hug and it didn't take long before she was telling him every detail about how she'd gotten into a terrible fight with her girlfriend and that she felt responsible and was afraid that their friendship was over._

 _Niles listened intently, never judging or even interrupting her, nor did he make her feel small the way her mother or brothers might have. Instead, he waited until she was finished and then helped her through it, offering suggestions and advice; as a friend of course. That is, after he let her cry against him until all of her frustration had melted away. She absorbed every word and thanked him profusely, but it didn't feel like enough.  
_

 _Just days later, she ran into her girlfriend while at the market. The meeting was awkward at first, filled with silence and a few angry words. But Daphne took Niles' advice and suggested that they go to the adjoining coffee shop for a drink. It was there that they began to talk it out, using the techniques that Niles had given her. Hours later, they were both crying and hugging one another, vowing never to become cross with each other again._

" _I don't want to lose you." Daphne said tearfully. "I love you."  
_

 _Her girlfriend had hugged her tightly. "I love you too. And I'm sorry."  
_

 _When they said goodbye, promising to get together the very next day, Daphne wasted no time in contacting Niles. It was a risk of course; showing up unannounced at his large mansion, for his wife wasn't the most pleasant person she'd ever encountered._

 _Feeling a bit nervous, she stood at his doorstep and when he answered the door, the expression on his face was one of surprise. "Daphne…"  
_

 _"Hello, Dr. Crane. I-I'm sorry if I seem surprised. I-I expected one of your maids to answer the door."  
_

 _"Oh, well, Marta has the day off and the others are… Um… What brings you here? Is something wrong?"  
_

 _She smiled knowingly. Of course he'd be worried about his father and brother. She should have known. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to worry you. Your brother and father are fine._

 _I'm sorry to show up unannounced like this. I just wanted to let you know… I ran into my girlfriend, the one I had the fight with."_

 _His expression changed to one of concern. "Oh… Well, I'm sure that was a bit awkward."  
_

 _"I-it was at first but then we started talking and-." Unexpectedly she began to cry. "I-I'm sorry, I-."  
_

 _He guided her inside and closed the door behind her, standing in the foyer to hold her close. "Daphne, I'm sorry. I had no idea…"  
_

 _She loved the feeling of his arms around her, the way his sweater felt so soft against her cheek. And she loved leaning her head against his chest. But she couldn't let him hold her forever, as much as she wanted to.  
_

 _"I-."  
_

 _"Daphne, it's all right. I'm sorry that things didn't work out. Sometimes friendships, like relationships between men and women, aren't meant to be."  
_

 _She looked up, smiling gratefully when he handed her his handkerchief. "Thank you, Dr. Crane, but actually I can't thank you enough for what you did for me."  
_

 _"What I-."_

" _My girlfriend and I, we ran into each other at the market. And I did exactly what you suggested. We had the most wonderful talk, the best talk we've ever had. And, this sounds completely silly, but I think our friendship is stronger now."  
_

 _"Well, I'm very glad to hear that, Daphne, I-."  
_

 _She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much."  
_

 _He held her close and she closed her eyes, once again wishing that she could stay in his arms for just a little while longer. At that moment he became her best friend._

 _But she never dreamed that their friendship could be anything more._


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a very long night. Unable to sleep for thinking of Niles, she'd read an entire romance novel, looked out the window at the stars, even went into the living room and watched an old romantic movie on the classic movie station. But nothing seemed to work and when she saw daylight begin to appear, she finally gave up on trying to sleep. No matter what she did, she just couldn't stop thinking about Niles.

She rose much earlier than normal and took a quick shower. She chose her clothing carefully, finally deciding on a new purple and blue print dress that she'd purchased just days before. It was one that Niles had never seen before, and although it seemed silly, she knew it would be perfect. A touch of makeup and a spritz of perfume on her brush that she ran through her hair and her ensemble was complete. She knew that the way she looked was a bit extravagant but somehow it felt right.

When she entered the living room, she was greeted with smiles of approval. And even Eddie seemed to approve, judging from the way he began jumping up and down barking was certainly odd, for she knew that they were hardly ever awake at such an early hour. Something was definilyte going on.

"What are you two doing up so early?"

Martin grinned sheepishly, giving her the answer that she knew he would never say out loud. They had been waiting up on her.

"Oh, we were just… You look great, Daph."

"You look better than great, actually. You look beautiful." Frasier beamed.

Overcome with love for the men, she hugged and kissed them both. "Thank you so much. I really can't thank you all enough." Suddenly she glanced at the clock and gasped. "Oh my, look at the time! Dr. Crane, what time did you say that Dr. Crane's meeting is?"

"It was supposed to start at 7, but I have a feeling that it won't last too long."

"Well, I have some time, so I'll just get your breakfast started right away. I'll fix you anything you like. And that goes for you, too Mr. Crane. Anything at all."

"Don't worry about that, Daphne." Frasier said. "Dad and I will take care of it."

"But-"

"Niles will probably be finished with his meeting soon, so if you hurry-."

She only hesitated for a moment before hugging Frasier tightly as she brushed away a few tears. "I love you and Mr. Crane so much."

"We love you too, Daphne." This, from Martin, which surprised her even further.

She picked up her purse and headed for the foyer but before she opened the door, she picked up the tissue paper covered rose from the credenza. She wasn't sure what made her want to bring it, but the feeling of it in her hand seemed to give her courage.

For her life as she knew it was about to change.


	6. Chapter 6

She was completely nervous about dropping in on Niles (unexpectedly or otherwise), but somehow the rose that she held in her hand made her feel a bit better. She took a deep breath and entered the building, absently pushing the elevator button for Niles' floor. The doors opened and she stopped out onto the plush carpeting, where she found herself face to face with the glass doors that led to his office.

 _Dr. Niles, Crane, Psychiatrist_

The moment she entered the lobby, she was greeted with a smile by Mrs. Woodson, his longtime administrative assistant. She'd seen the kind woman only a handful of times before, on the rare visits with Frasier and Martin. But Mrs. Woodson was one of the sweetest women that Daphne had ever known and suddenly she wished that she'd come by Niles' office more often.

"Why Daphne, how are you?"

Daphne smiled. "Hello, it's nice to see you. Is Dr. Crane in?"

"Of course, I'll let him know that you're here." But just as she was about to push the intercom button, Daphne interjected.

"Actually, if it's all right with you, I'd like it to be a secret. I know it sounds silly, but-."

"Not at all. In fact I think that's a wonderful idea." The way she smiled told Daphne that she knew Niles' secret as well.

"But Dr. Crane said that he's in a meeting and I don't want to disturb him if he's busy."

"Actually you've come at the perfect time. The gentlemen he was meeting with left about fifteen minutes ago. I'm sure Dr. Crane will enjoy your company."

"Well, thank you. I appreciate-."

He certainly speaks very highly of you, Daphne."

Her hand instantly went to her beating heart. "H-he does?"

"Oh I know that you've been here many times before, but Dr. Crane isn't one to make small talk. However, on occasion-."  
She swallowed hard, as the reality sunk deeper and deeper into her heart. "Thank you, that means a lot to me."

"Go on, he's in his office."

In a daze, she walked through the lobby to his office and knocked quietly on the door.

"Come in."

The sound of his muffled voice brought ridiculous tears that she quickly brushed away. What was wrong with her? The moment she turned the doorknob and opened the door, her heart skipped a beat. He was sitting at his desk, going through some papers. And she was struck by how handsome he was.

"H-hello, Dr. Crane."

The moment he saw her, he rose to his feet in one fluid motion. "Daphne…"

"Hello." She said again. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all. But-."

"Don't worry, your brother and father are fine."

The look of relief on his face made her feel the slightest bit guilty.

"I'm so sorry. I know I should have called, but-."

"It's all right. I just-."

"Your brother sent me."

"Frasier?"

Yes, he said that you had an early meeting and that you'd be here, but if this is a bad time-."

"No!" he yelled, startling her. "I-I mean, please… come in and have a seat."

"I should have called." She said again. "But I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well, it certainly is that. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

The warmth of his compliment filled her body and she smiled. "Well, I-I need to talk to you about something."

"Of course. You know that I can't act as your therapist, but if it's just friendly advice you need-."

She went to him and took his hand. "You are my friend, Dr. Crane. My best friend."

The color rose in his cheeks. "Oh… Daphne… that's… that's very nice to hear. In fact, that means a lot to me, thank you. And you're my… um… what did you want to talk about?"

She wanted so badly to put her arms around him and hold him, but instead she took a deep breath, unable to believe that her life could change dramatically with her next words.

"Actually Dr. Crane, it's about us."


	7. Chapter 7

His mouth fell open and she could tell that he was just as surprised as she.

"Y-you want to talk about us?"

"Yes."

"Daphne, if I've upset you or hurt you in any way, I'm deeply sorry, but I wish you would have come to me sooner. I have no idea-."

"No, you haven't done anything, Dr. Crane. You're completely wonderful." Her face grew warm and she knew that she was blushing. What was she thinking, saying something so daft, even if it was true?

"Well, thank you. I think you're wonderful too. But I still don't-."

Nervously she twirled the tissue paper covered rose in her fingers.

"What's that?" Niles asked.

"Oh… a delivery boy sent it this morning."

"I see. Well, it's very nice."

"Yes it is. It's from your father."

"Dad sent it?"

"Yes…"

"Well that was very considerate of him."

Tears filled her eyes but she made no effort to brush them away. "Yes it was, wasn't it?"

"Daphne, what's wrong?"

"He really is the sweetest man, even though he can be a pain at times. Your father, I mean."

Niles nodded. "That's true, but-."

Feeling bold, she put the rose aside and went to him, putting her arms around his neck. As she expected, his breathing changed instantly.

"He's like his sons. His youngest, especially."

"I-."

"Dr. Crane, why didn't you tell me before?"

"Tell you…"

"I can't believe this is really happening but I'm so flattered, really. And last night, I couldn't sleep at all because I kept thinking about you."

"Flattered? Daphne, what are you talking about?"

"I guess I'm not explaining myself very well. You see, your father and brother, they told me your secret."

"My…"

"Niles, please don't be angry with them. I suppose I should have figured it out on me own; the way you're always being so sweet to me, complimenting me, coming over almost every day. I don't know why I didn't see it before."

"I-I'm sorry I never-."

"It's all right. I'm glad they told me. And if your father hadn't sent the rose, I never would have known…"

"Daphne…"

"I just… I guess I never imagined us being anything other than friends. And I was okay with that, but now…"

"How do you feel now?"

She moved her face closer to his and kissed his lips. They were softer than she ever imagined. "I think I'm in love with you too."

At his stunned expression, she drew back.

"I-I know I shouldn't have sprung this on you, as your father would say, but if we take it slow, then maybe... I mean, we already know so much about each other, but we could start over. Get to know each other in a whole new light."

He said nothing, and instead continued to stare at her.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? Around eight? Unless you've already made plans."

"No, I-."

"Now, I know you don't like my cooking very much but I'll make your favorite dish. I'll even get your brother to help me or we can have it catered."

"A-all right."

"Your brother can help me pick out a wine and-."

"Actually Daphne that won't be necessary."

"Oh of course, you're the wine expert. If you want to bring your own-."

"I meant about my coming over for dinner."

The meaning of his words began to sink in almost immediately and suddenly she felt very small. She drew back even further and picked up the rose and her purse. "I-I see..."

Frasier and Martin hadn't actually come right out and said as much, but they implied that Niles was in love with her. Now she realized that she was wrong in her assumption. She had been very wrong. She turned away, as the hot tears filled her eyes.

"Daphne, are you all right?"

When she looked up, the concern she saw in his beautiful blue eyes was almost unbearable. "I-I shouldn't have bothered you at work like this, Dr. Crane. I'm so sorry. I-."

"Daphne, wait!"

But she was already rushing out of his office, past a surprised Mrs. Woodson, who called her name as well. But she didn't stop running until she reached her car. And it was there, as she leaned against it, she sobbed into her hands.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the warm hand on her back that made her turn around, but when she did, she wished that she hadn't. To look into his beautiful eyes was even more painful than realizing how bloody stupid she'd been for thinking that her best friend, a man like Dr. Crane who was her polar opposite, could possibly be in love with her. She tried to turn away, but the gentle touch prevented her from doing so. And there was nothing she could do but look into his gorgeous blue eyes.

"Dr. Crane, I'm sorry, I-."

"No, Daphne. _I'm_ sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. What I said about dinner-."

"You don't have to explain, I understand. I never should have assumed-."

"Please, hear me out. I didn't explain myself at all. What I meant to say was, I should have said-."

"I'm so sorry." She said again.

"What could you possibly be sorry for? You haven't done anything wrong. If anything I'm the one-."

"I'm sorry for being so stupid, Dr. Crane."

"You're _not_ stupid, Daphne. Please don't ever think-."

"I _am_ stupid, Dr. Crane! For thinking that you could possibly love someone like me!"

His mouth fell open. "Daphne…"

"It's your brother's fault!" She blurted out. "When your father confessed to sending me that rose, your brother assumed that it was you who had sent it."

"H-he did? But I never-."

"He was quite angry about it but when your father said that he was the one who sent it, your brother had no choice but to explain why he was so angry. And then your father confessed to knowing the secret as well. They never came right out and said as much but I just assumed-." She took a deep shuddering breath as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "I- I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Suddenly he moved closer and gently cradled her face in his hands. "You're not wrong, Daphne. I do love you. I love you very much."

She gasped in surprise and before she could even consider what to say, he was kissing her. His lips were soft and warm and she wrapped her arms around his neck in an effort to draw him closer. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe, nor did she want to. Every doubt or fear that she'd had about loving him began to melt away, leaving a feeling of complete and utter happiness and love for her best friend that was so intense that she couldn't believe it was real.

The kisses ended and she looked into his eyes suddenly realizing that perhaps he had loved her for a long time. She never thought about the possibility before but at once the pieces finally came together, forming a beautiful picture. She didn't have to ask him why he had been so hesitant to tell her. Frasier's immediate reaction when he assumed that Niles sent the rose made that abundantly clear.

"I love you, Niles… I love you very much." She whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.

He smiled and smoothed her hair with his hand and then touched his nose to hers. "I love you too, Daphne."

Their kisses resumed, more intense than before and she found that she couldn't let go of him. She wanted to hold onto him forever.

But suddenly, she drew back and gasped. Frantically looking around the parking lot.

"Oh no, please tell me that I didn't lose it! I'll be so upset if-."

"You mean this?"

She gasped in surprise when he showed her the object in his hand. It was the tissue paper covered rose that Mr. Crane had given her. With trembling fingers she took it and inhaled the wonderful aroma.

"Thank you, Niles. Where was it?"

"In my office. You must have dropped it when you-."

Her eyes closed and she smelled the rose again. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, Daphne. You're very beautiful." He whispered, kissing her again.

"You know…" She said thoughtfully after the kisses ended. "I never did properly thank your father for the gift. I should do that."

"And I need to thank Frasier."

"Your brother? What for? He didn't give me a gift."

"But he gave me a gift. One that I will cherish for the rest of my life."

She held him close, listening to his heartbeat. Standing in the parking lot of his office next to her car was hardly romantic, but at that moment it was the only place she wanted to be.

THE END


End file.
